Your trusted source for Iowa business and franchise law insights.
Your trusted source for Iowa business and franchise law insights.
It was an interesting evening at the SEMEE event tonight. Several new businesses presented their stories and it was exciting to see so many people in the audience who care about entrepreneurship in Central Iowa. Thanks to the Steens of Transition Capital Management for organizing the event.
The star of the show? Undoubtedly Charlie Anderson…
Generally, the easiest way for a buyer to purchase a business is through an Asset Purchase Agreement. The buyer is not actually purchasing the business itself. One commentator has described it has buying the seller’s merchandise without buying the store.
Buyers tend to favor asset purchases for several reasons. First, the buyer obtains the…
If you are selling your business you should not divulge trade secrets and confidential business information without a signed confidentiality agreement. The theft of trade secrets is an increasingly litigated issue. In the business sale context this often happens when negotiations break down and the potential buyer decides they can start their own business. …
When forming small businesses I am sometimes asked whether the owner(s) must form a board of directors consisting of members from various backgrounds who are not actually owners of the business. While it may work in certain situations, I have not seen this model work real well for most small businesses. By their very nature…
Believe it or not, as a small business lawyer I have named more than my fair share of businesses for clients. (Maybe I should add that to the list of incorporation services). I always kind of laugh when I am asked for my opinion on the subject because I am not a marketing…
Today I had a discussion with another attorney about the the pros and cons of franchising. We determined that while many business owners may think they want to franchise, it is often not the best alternative for their business. If you are interested in the topic you may want to check out this article on…
I listened to an insightful podcast from Becky McCray of Small Biz Survival called Nothing New. She also quotes Dr. Samuel Johnson who once said, "People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed."
That is so true when it comes to helping businesses recognize legal issues. So often what…
New York small business lawyer Imke Ratschko wrote an excellent blog post on Web incorporation services. She found a blog post by a California business lawyer who described a certain Web incorporation service as almost a scam.
Imke also shares her reasons why people are better off choosing business lawyers to perform incorporation and LLC…
A couple of months ago I received Sirius satellite radio as a gift. I love it except for one constant ad that drives me absolutely bonkers. About every fifteen minutes I hear an ad from LegalZoom, a legal document company. LegalZoom touts that its fees are 85% less than those of lawyers.
First, with…
I tell clients they need to establish relationships with at least four professionals when starting a business including:
As tax season kicks into full force many business owners may be considering hiring an accountant to complete their business taxes. I always get worried when a business person tells me he…